Breaking down Charles Clay's contract, cap hits with Buffalo Bills [1:50 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'In terms of what Clay will cost the Bills against the salary cap, the tight end carries a $5 million cap hit in 2015, $13.5 million cap hit in 2016 and cap hits of $6.5 million from 2017 through 2019. The Bills would be able to lower Clay's 2016 cap hit by converting his $10 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, which would spread the cap hit over the rest of the contract. Buffalo also included a no-trade clause for the first three seasons of Clay's deal.'

Buffalo Bills' trade for LeSean McCoy reportedly took just 30 minutes; Rex Ryan views McCoy as [1:49 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'It seems the Bills' trade of star linebacker Kiko Alonso for McCoy was as much a surprise to them as it was the rest of the league. Ryan said the Bills were "stunned" to learn McCoy was available and jumped at the opportunity to acquire him. McCoy was the first piece of the Bills' offseason puzzle, and Ryan said he made it easier to bring in free agents.'

Rex Ryan says he'll learn Bryce Brown's name when the Bills' RB 'learns to hold [1:48 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'With a backfield that includes McCoy, veteran Fred Jackson and short-yardage specialist Anthony Dixon, Brown may not have much of a role in Buffalo this season. A ball control, ground-and-pound offense like the Bills have can't afford to have a running back with ball security issues. Brown still has to earn the trust of his new coach.'

Buffalo Bills reportedly turned down HBO's 'Hard Knocks' [1:47 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'Back in 2010, Bills coach Rex Ryan was featured on the show as coach of the New York Jets. The season was considered one of the show's most successful due to Ryan's entertaining coaching style. The show won its second straight Sports Emmy Award and the Jets were offered the show again in 2011 but turned it down.'

Bills coach Rex Ryan: ' I was slapped down with humble pie' [1:46 AM]Toronto Sun reports:
'On not getting a call from the Chicago Bears, a team for whom his dad was defensive coordinator in the 1980s, when they were looking for a new coach and he was free: “I must have done a bad job as a ball boy there or something.”'

Rex Ryan: Bills were 'stunned' when Eagles dangled McCoy [1:44 AM]Philadelphia Inquirer reports:
'"We were just kind of like stunned there a little bit," Ryan said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. "We were like, 'Really? Like, wow. Let's just take it from there.' Obviously we were interested. . . . We knew it wasn't going to be cheap by any stretch and losing a player like Kiko Alonso is obviously a steep price. But we felt really good about it."'

Buffalo Bills' Rex Ryan says trade with Eagles for LeSean McCoy took only 30 minutes [1:42 AM]South Jersey Times reports:
'"We were all sitting there in an organizational meeting. We had all of our coordinators. (Running backs coach) Anthony Lynn was present. (General manager) Doug Whaley. (CEO) Russ Brandon. (Team owner) Terrance Pagula," Ryan said. "We are sitting around making our plans for free agency. What our team looks like, what we want it to look like. And all of the sudden we get a call from Philadelphia. That is when the trade started. And probably 30 minutes later it was done."'

Rex Ryan wrong to expect boos from Jets fans when he returns with Bills [1:41 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'“The one thing I know about fans in general is they appreciate effort,” Ryan said. “The results aren’t what anybody wanted there. Obviously, you want to win a championship, and that’s all that matters. I think fans overall appreciate effort, and I know I certainly gave what I have.”'

Why Rex Ryan is sad his brother won’t cut the fat — or his hair [1:40 AM]New York Post reports:
'“He won’t get his hair cut and is keeping that belly,” Rex said, according to Fox Sports. “[He said] ‘I’m gonna be a head coach and do it my way.’ [And I said], ‘No you’re not.’ It’s unfortunate. I’m still trying to get that message across to him.”'

Big-talking Rex Ryan is back and happy with Buffalo Bills [1:39 AM]Newsday reports:
'"Shoot, I was slapped down with a little humble pie there," he said of going 18-30 in his last three seasons including 4-12 in 2014. "It was tough. Embarrassing. But the thing I'm proud of is that it wasn't a reflection of the guys. My guys played as hard as they could. That's something I'm extremely proud of and that's probably why I'm sitting here today. But the results were a little embarrassing."'

Rex Ryan gave himself two options: Head coach or TV analyst [1:38 AM]Newsday reports:
'"I figured something good would happen, but I really wasn't sure," he said of his disposition after being fired by the Jets. "I knew that I wasn't going to be a coordinator. I said 'You know what, I'm either going to be a head coach or I'll find some other place.' That might have seemed strange to some at the time, but not to me. I knew I could coach, I think I'm a decent head coach, but obviously the record [4-12 in 2014] was an abysmal record that year. I was hopeful I'd get another opportunity."'

Rex Ryan's pursuit of Bill Belichick a whale of a quest [1:37 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'“Frustrating?” Ryan said. “No doubt. You could make an argument we should have won the last six, but we didn’t. One-point game, two-point game (also two three-point games, by the way). But to their credit, that’s the difference. That’s a world championship team that found ways to win those games. It’s a tribute to Belichick. It’s a tribute to Brady.’’'

Businessman who staved off blackouts applauds NFL's decision [1:35 AM]AP reports:
'Hotel and restaurant owner Russell Salvatore has spent tens of thousands of dollars in recent years to buy unsold Buffalo Bills tickets so the team's home games wouldn't be blacked out in the western New York TV market.'

Rex Ryan has his swagger back in Buffalo [1:34 AM]Fox Sports reports:
'"There are no hidden agendas or anything else," Ryan said. "This is who we are, this is what we want. There isn't anybody in this organization that doesn't want anything other than building a championship team. That's what we're all about. Everything thing we do is based on that. Everybody is on board."'

Sides moved fast on McCoy trade [1:33 AM]ESPN reports:
'"The trade for LeSean happened really quick," Ryan said at the NFL owners meetings. "We were all sitting there. We were having organizational meetings. ... And all of the sudden we get this call from Philadelphia and I think that was when the trade started. Probably 30 minutes later, the trade was done."'

Rex Ryan 'stunned' when Bills landed LeSean McCoy [1:32 AM]CSN Philadelphia reports:
'“Obviously we were interested,” he added. “We knew it wasn’t going to be cheap by any stretch, and losing a player like Kiko Alonso is obviously a steep price, but we felt really good about it.”'

Details of Charles Clay's contract with Bills [1:31 AM]WGR-AM reports:
'The 2016 cap hit is rather extreme for a player at his position, however, the Bills can lower the cap number significantly if they so choose. Since the large majority of the $13.5 million cap hit is tied to a $10 million roster bonus, Buffalo has the option to restructure the contract and convert the roster bonus into a signing bonus, which would then be prorated into the rest of the contract.'

Rex Ryan forming plan for Bills QB competition [1:30 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'“It’s probably not an ideal situation right now,” Ryan admitted. “You’ve got four guys competing instead of just going in with a clear cut number one, but nobody has established themselves yet. We’ll probably try to speed up that competition.”'

March 24, 2015

Bills’ London game will stream worldwide [1:59 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'“The reality is, the way we consume content is far different today than it was when most of us were growing up, especially the millennial generation,” Brandon said. “They take in content in a much different fashion than we do and to be a part of that landscape of where that is heading in the next 10 to 20 years” is exciting. “The NFL is always a thought leader when it comes to how it distributes its content and we’re excited to be a part of it.”'

NFL lifts blackout policy for 2015 [1:58 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The move seems to be an obvious response to the political pressure that has been placed on the NFL to abandon the blackout policy, especially for teams such as the Bills, who have one of the larger stadiums in the league that is more difficult to sell out than others. The Bills had no blackouts in 2014 and one in 2013, although local blackouts were more frequent in earlier years.'

Committee proposes ‘medical timeout’ [1:57 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'It gives independent injury spotters the chance to stop the game before checking a player who might be showing signs of a concussion.'

NFL owners vote to suspend blackout rule for 2015 [1:56 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'"We definitely have a stronger crowd when the Bills are on," said Matt Gleason, a manager at The Distillery. "We always receive calls in regards to whether we're showing it (if games were blacked out, which they could not). I'm sure it will help us out. Last year was nice because they had a winning record and didn't have any blackouts."'

Bills and Browns will scrimmage at 2015 training camp at St. John Fisher, play preseason game in Cle [1:55 AM]Syracuse Post-Standard reports:
'The practices will provide no shortage of storylines, as Bills coach Rex Ryan and Browns coach Mike Pettine have a long history with one another. They coached together from 2002-2008 as part of the Baltimore Ravens' staff before Ryan took the head coaching job with the Jets and named Pettine his defensive coordinator. Pettine left to become the defensive coordinator in Buffalo for the 2013 season before landing the Browns job.'

Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills to scrimmage during training camp in New York [1:53 AM]Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:
'Pettine and Ryan came up with the idea to revive the Browns-Bills training camp clash, which also took place in the early 2000s under former Brown coach Butch Davis. The Browns traveled to St. John Fisher back then, but also practiced with the Bills in Berea, Ohio and at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania.'

Clay’s agent was ready to negotiate long-term deal with Dolphins [1:52 AM]Palm Beach Post reports:
'According to a Dolphins source, Miami felt safe Clay would return because before free agency, his agent was trying to negotiate a long-term deal with Miami for $6.8 million a year and $13.8 million over the first two years.'